Soul to Soul Connection
by Tarafina
Summary: This was all she wanted. To be a little shelter and comfort to the man who usually offered it.


**Title**: Soul-to-Soul Connection  
**Category**: Smallville  
**Rating**: T  
**Genre**: Angst/Romance  
**Pairing**: Chloe/Oliver  
**Prompt**: #031 – Music  
**Word Count**: 2,107  
**Summary**: This was all she wanted. To be a little shelter and comfort to the man who usually offered it.

**_Soul-to-Soul Connection_**

_Lonesome stranger  
With a crowd around you  
I see who you are_

_You joke, they laugh  
Til the show is over  
Then you fall so hard_

_If you're needing  
A soul-to-soul connection  
I'll run to your side_

She watched from afar, hidden in the comfort of a darkened corner, avoiding the drones that milled around her. He wasn't so lucky; instead being drawn right to the center of it. He put on a good show, she'd give him that. The Queen-smile, fully of charm and charisma, snared hearts and so easily tricked the others into thinking he was one of them. But she could see the strain of it around his eyes, the pinch of his lips when he let the smile drop for a fraction of a second. He made them laugh, kept the charade going so well she might've believed it if she didn't know him better. But that was just it, while all these people were so certain they knew this man in front of them, they had no idea. People were everywhere, vying for his attention, and still he looked so lonely. Probably why he was drinking as much champagne as he'd already consumed; he must have one very nice buzz going.

Hours passed and he did his part, he stopped when people wanted it of him, to chat and listen and commiserate on things he had no ties to any longer. Traveling, all of which he did for work and the League, couldn't be a point of exchange. They were off enjoying the spoils of being wealthy and without worries while Oliver had the strain of the world on his shoulders. But he nodded anyway, agreed when it was warranted and moved on to whoever else wanted to be seen with him. When he tugged at his tie as if it were a noose around his neck, she intervened.

He was on his way to the buffet but someone waved and his shoulders fell just an inch, what little he could show of how tired he was. Gown swishing around her legs, she crossed the room so quick it could've rivaled Bart. She pretended to bump into him, not surprised when he caught her easily and they whirled in a small circle. He hid his surprise at finding her there easily. "You okay?" he asked, an amused smile quirking his lips.

"Nothing a little dancing couldn't cure," she replied, putting on a show of flirting for the on-lookers.

Taking her hand, he glanced at the couple that had been waving him over and motioned that he'd only be a minute. "You're a life saver, Sidekick," he murmured before and leading her out to the dance floor.

"So I've heard." She twirled easily into his arms, their twined hands lifted into the air while her free palm lay on his shoulder and his cupped the small of her back.

The orchestra played a slow tune, so they swayed and moved into a two-step.

"So?" he wondered, glancing around the room briefly before turning his attention to her. "What brought you out here to mingle with the stuffy and oversensitive?"

She grinned. "Thought I'd check up on you, see how you were faring."

"So it wasn't just to get a new dress?" he teased, holding her out for playful inspection. "Ace job, by the way, you look stunning."

If it wasn't for the tender sincerity in his eyes, she might've snarked back, but he was being the Ollie she knew him to be and giving her an honest compliment.

"What, this old thing?" she smarted.

He chuckled. "Just found it in your closet, right? Stuffed somewhere in the back?"

She shrugged. "Of course."

"You should bring it out more often," he suggested.

"Yeah? Like when I'm locked away in the Tower for hours on end? Maybe do a little dancing while I'm leading you and the boys through dangerous warehouses?"

His brows lifted comically. "If you can multi-task that well, all the power to you."

She laughed. Despite how awful his night had already been, she was glad he could still enjoy some lighthearted banter in the end.

With a grin, he drew her a little closer, embracing her in more of a hug than a dance. "Thank you."

"I'm hearing that from you a lot lately," she murmured.

He didn't pull back, instead tipping his head to talk softly against her ear. "You have a way of showing up at just the right time and doing just the right thing."

"One of my many skills."

She could feel his grin.

Even as the song ended he didn't let go, holding on through the next tune and avoiding the outside world for a little longer. She couldn't say she minded.

_When you're lost in the dark  
When you're out in the cold  
When you're looking for something that resembles your soul  
When the wind blows your house of cards  
I'll be a home to your homeless heart_

The warmth of his body so close was relaxing, comforting. Since Jimmy had died she couldn't remember being this close in contact with anyone. Oliver was so much taller and broader, it felt like being swallowed whole. His bracing arm around her kept her steady, and despite the fact that they were just dancing at some gala, nothing that would involve danger in the least, she couldn't help but link the shelter of his arms to his protective nature. In the worst of times, he would always be there to shield her from it. Whether he disagreed or not, he'd stand at her side. It was why she trusted him so much, why she was willing to step in when he needed her to. Clark didn't get it, didn't understand her loyalty to Oliver. But he didn't know Ollie like she did, didn't understand him the way she had. All Oliver asked for was truth, justice and loyalty, and she had that in spades, so she offered it up, knowing that he would give it back just as much.

It was in her nature to take care of the heroes she knew and so while this might not be her mission, she knew how he hated to step into the Queen persona, to become the ballsy billionaire with a background for being a womanizer. She knew the guy who fell hard for her cousin and wanted, more than anything, to have the kind of love his parents had. However, finding that when one was hiding a duo-identity and fighting crime at night wasn't easy. So when he went out and he put on the Armani suit to play billionaire for the cameras, she kept an eye out. At first, it was just through hacking a few security cameras and keeping an eye on the soirees he was attending. But after awhile, she got tired of seeing that defeated and tired smile of his and now she had decided to step in.

Oliver Queen might be on the inside of these tight circles, but Ollie was on the out. She wondered how many people around her were putting on a show and then decided she didn't care. Her only point of interest was the man currently holding her tight to his chest. When his fingers had started stroking her back, she didn't know. Probably around the same time she began dragging her nails up and down the back of his neck. No doubt tomorrow's latest rag paper would have a picture of Oliver and his newest score, but she didn't mind. She could feel him relaxing against her, shucking off the weight of being who was expected of him. That was all she wanted. To be a little shelter and comfort to the man who usually offered it.

"How'd you find me?" he asked, not so much suspicious as curious.

"You're not hard to find," she replied. "Just had to look up the latest big-money fundraiser and I knew where to find you."

He laughed shortly. "Not as mysterious as I thought I was, huh?"

Tipping her head back, she smiled up at him. "Not to me."

He stared at her a moment, his own smile softening. Reaching up, he brushed her bangs behind her ear and tugged on her earlobe affectionately. "No… You're the best secret keeper a guy like me could ask for."

"That's what my resume says."

He cocked a brow. "Resume? You're not offering your services elsewhere, are you?"

"And leave the all exclusive boys-club to its lonesome?" She snorted. "Not likely."

"I think you're forgetting Dinah," he reminded, smirking.

"I like her," she assured. Shrugging, she added, "But I guess I'll always think of the team as just you and the boys."

He nodded. "Eventually, we _will _get bigger." He looked down at her with a mock-serious expression. "You might want to acknowledge the others then, don't want to play favorites."

"We'll see when we get there," she replied, amused.

"Deal," he agreed before tossing out an arrogant smirk. "Wanna kiss on it?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Cute."

He winced. "I prefer handsome, debonair, anything along those lines…"

She looked around suddenly, brow furrowed before asking him sarcastically, "Did you want me to find someone to dance with your ego, I don't think there's enough of me to handle both of you…"

He grinned. "I'll try to reign it in."

Tugging her in close once more, he held her so tight she could bury her face in his neck and inhale that delicious scent that always enveloped him.

_Open close me  
Leave your secrets with me  
I can ease your pain_

_And my arms will be  
Just like walls around you  
Come in from the rain_

_If you're running  
In the wrong direction  
I will lead you back_

A few minutes later, she could both see and feel the difference in him. He was thinking too much, she knew, because the weight of his past suddenly fell heavy on his shoulders. "You all right?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding slightly. "Just thinking…"

"About?"

He glanced at her, paused for a moment, and then spilled his guts. "A few months ago I didn't think I'd make it this far… I gave up."

"And just think, you would've missed out on this oh-so-exciting party," she murmured back.

He smiled for her benefit but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey," she said, reaching up to tap his chin and draw his gaze down to hers. "You're not that guy anymore. We've all got a few free Go-AWOL cards and you played one, that's fine. You're back now and you're doing what you were meant to."

"Thanks to you."

She grinned. "There's that thank you again. You keep it up and I'll grow an ego the size of _yours_."

He half-smiled. "Sorry, I just… I don't think you know how big a part you really played…" He stared at her searchingly, his brown eyes searing into hers. "I wasn't just gonna pack in the gear, Chloe…" he admitted, regret lacing his voice.

"I know," she told him, softly. "I saw the footage… I know about the suicide attempt, if you even wanna call it that."

He stiffened momentarily.

"I get it." She frowned. "I mean I don't _agree _with it, but… I understand why you felt you had to do it…" Licking her lips, she sighed. "You need to know that I wouldn't've gone through all the trouble of saving you if I didn't think you were really _worth _it."

"Why though?" He shook his head. "After Davis and Jimmy, I…" He swallowed tightly. "You should hate me."

"I had as much to do with that as you did… I screwed up _big time_." Her eyes widened for emphasis. "And you were trying to tell me that, trying to talk sense into me, and I still chose to do what I thought was right rather than what had to be done…" She shook her head, squeezing his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault. It was a whole lot of bad decisions that all came together. It doesn't mean that what you were _trying_ to do, who you're _meant _to be, is wrong. It just means that the responsibilities we have are a lot bigger than we ever thought and we have to be more careful in future." She smiled comfortingly. "All right?"

His brows narrowed, lips pursing. "I think you're giving me a lot more credit than I deserve."

She grinned. "Modesty, Ollie? Is that really your forte?"

He laughed, lifting a shoulder. "Maybe not. And you're right, I take a lot of credit for what happened. I don't blame you, Chloe. You had your reasons and maybe I don't always agree with them, but I _know _you and I _trust _you."

"You're smarter than you look then," she replied snarkily.

With a chuckle, he leaned down to press a kiss against her forehead.

Eyes wide with warning, she told him, "Don't you dare say thank you."

Chuckling, he twirled her around to the brightly playing music.

_Broken  
Shattered like a mirror  
In a million pieces  
Sooner or later  
You've got to find  
Something, someone  
To find you and save you  
_

When the orchestra took a break, they were forced to part and already the vultures that called themselves his friends were beginning to descend.

"So, how long are you going to torture yourself here?" she wondered, leaning against his side.

He grimaced. "The car I hired won't be back for an hour."

She grinned. "Good thing I brought my own car then, huh?"

His eyes lit up hopefully. "Are you here just to save me, Sidekick?"

She looked up at him. "My one and only mission tonight, Arrow." She started backing toward the door. "If we leave now, they'll all just think you got lucky. So don't procrastinate here, Queen. It's do or die… of boredom."

Laughing, he nodded, wrapping an arm around her waist and sauntering toward the exit. "Technically, I am getting lucky…"

She cocked a brow up at him. "Is that right?"

Meeting her dubious face with a smirk, he replied, "I just left the most boring event of the year with the most beautiful woman in there, someone who not only knows me for me but was sensible enough to concoct an escape plan before coming to my rescue. Now _that_ is luck."

Smiling, she rolled her eyes. "Keep those compliments up, Queen, and you might get even luckier."

Grinning, he followed her down to her car, holding her door open for her.

Before she could climb in though, he touched her cheek.

She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes.

"You know, if we ever did…" He stared at her, any trace of humor now gone. "I wouldn't take it lightly. I wouldn't…" He sighed. "When it comes to you, I'd be all in."

Her lips curled warmly. "I know." Reaching up, she smoothed his green silk tie down. "You're pretty far in already, don't you think?"

He smiled, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I don't wanna screw this up."

"You've got two choices here," she murmured, looking up at him earnestly. "Take the leap, head first, and trust that I'll catch you, or walk away and don't look back."

A second, a fraction of, a moment caught in the blink of an eye, he made his choice.

Fingers tangled in her hair, he cupped the back of her neck, drew her forward and bent to meet her. Standing next to her car, with the rain just beginning to fall, outside of a building with people who couldn't recognize him from a cardboard cutout, Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen kissed for the first time. And a man, once alone in a crowd, found the one soul he could truly connect to.

_I'll be a home to your homeless heart_


End file.
